• Lorenzo Merello and Fernando Novoa.
• Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
• Rev Med Chil. 2021 Dec 1; 149 (12): 1694-1698.

BackgroundThe Ethics Committees of medical associations define standards of conduct to avoid improper professional behavior.AimTo identify the areas of professional behavior with most allegations of misconduct.Material And MethodsAnalysis of all ethical claims received at the Regional Ethics Court of the Chilean Medical Association between 2016 and 2021.ResultsOf 323 cases analyzed, 17% of complaints argued a failure in achieving a satisfactory standard of medical care, 15% unprofessional behavior, 14% disruptive interaction among physicians, 12% failure to fulfill therapeutic expectations, 6% poor quality of care, 6% fraud, 6% complains against institutions, 6% sexual misconduct, 6% inappropriate billing, 3% diagnostic errors, 3% inappropriate social behaviors, 1% refusal to provide a sick leave and 1% illegal practice. Only 41.5% of complaints were filed against registered physicians, thus limiting the capabilities of the medical ethical board.ConclusionsThe most common complaints observed were professional misconduct and relationship problems between physicians.

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